New Michigan QB Devin Gardner making it look easy, even if it isn't

Michigan's Devin Gardner celebrates after guiding the Wolverines to a comeback win last weekend against Northwestern.Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's Devin Gardner is characterized by his teammates as a "clown."

Offensive coordinator Al Borges' word for him: "Funny."

One descriptor that no longer seems to apply, though, is "receiver," and there's been little funny about that no matter how smooth Gardner makes his transition look.

“It hasn’t been slow," Borges said this week. "I’d love to use that word, but it’s been a cram course, when you haven’t played quarterback for a while.

"It wasn’t difficult. You weren’t starting from ground zero, but it’s been a cram course because he had to get back in form real quick and produce, you know? So I wouldn’t use the word ‘slowly.’ I think it’s been quicker out of necessity. It’s been fast.”

No. 23 Michigan (7-3, 5-1) remains in the title hunt heading into Saturday's game against Iowa, but its chances took a hit with a 23-9 loss at Nebraska last month. The Cornhuskers, tied atop the Legends Division with the Wolverines at 5-1, now hold the tiebreaker.

Michigan also lost quarterback Denard Robinson in that game when he collided with the turf and injured a nerve in his throwing elbow. He departed, Russell Bellomy entered and the offense stalled.

The loss impacted the Wolverines' short-term title hopes, and the loss of Robinson impacted the long-term hopes. How would Michigan carry on with a seemingly overmatched Bellomy at the helm?

Enter Gardner.

He's helped keep the Big Ten title dream afloat with cool quarterbacking that often seems effortless. He led Michigan to a romp of Minnesota in his starting debut, then engineered two comebacks and scored a winning touchdown in overtime against Northwestern.

But don't let him fool you. Doing what he's done with only two weeks at the position, after moving to receiver in the offseason, isn't easy from a mental standpoint.

He's flashed a big arm and accuracy that belie his limited play at the position this season. He's thrown for two of Michigan's three best passing days this year, and receivers Jeremy Gallon and Roy Roundtree have flourished with Gardner under center.

Gardner has passed for 520 yards the past two weeks, more than Robinson's 482 yards in the five previous Big Ten games combined.

Borges said much of that success has to do with Gardner's strong instincts for the position.

"A lot of times pulling the ball down, running it for first downs, anticipatory on throws," Borges said. "He made a great read and throw on our sideline on a corner route. Very instinctive. He saw the coverage rolling toward the boundary, threw the ball back to the single-covered guy, made a beautiful throw. That takes some instincts and some experience, and he made that.

"But I think a lot of times just pulling the ball down, just running for first downs, doing a lot of that stuff. There’s a delicate balance at quarterback, is how much do you give the throw a chance, and when is it time to get out of there? I think that’s an instinctive thing. You can coach some of that, but some guys just got it.”

The Wolverines hope Gardner's got it. Their Big Ten title hopes are riding on it.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for MLive.com. He can be reached by email at kmeinke@mlive.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.